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to chug coffee

to chug coffee

1 5.9
To drink coffee quickly in big gulps to wake up
  • phrasal verb
  • /tʃʌg ˈkɔfi/
  • Informal
translation icon : beber café rápidamente
  • To stay alert during the long night shift, she chugged several cups of coffee.

I didn't sleep last night and I chugged a coffee before this so if I get a little crazy eyed.

Examples

  • I chugged my coffee quickly before rushing out the door to my meeting.

  • So she has been chugging coffee since she was a toddler!

    Blog text (2)
  • Hello everyone and welcome to this week's episode As Jeremy finished chugging some delicious coffee, tea, Thai tea, Thai tea.

  • I didn't sleep last night and I chugged a coffee before this so if I get a little crazy eyed.

  • The most egregious and telling commercial of the campaign has to be "Tired You," which depicts a white-collar type chugging coffee as he tries in vain to stay awake while driving on a flat, straight deserted road.

    Blog text (11)
  • He usually chugs a cup of coffee every morning to wake up.

Synonyms

to chug
vsto chug coffee
  • Informal
31 5.0

To drink something quickly in large gulps

is used for a specific drink rather than any beverage
to gulp down
vsto chug coffee
  • Informal
6 3.1

To eat or drink something quickly without stopping

focuses only on drinking a particular drink rather than eating
to swill
vsto chug coffee
  • Informal
5 7.5

To drink a lot quickly, usually alcoholic drinks

is about quick gulps of one drink rather than large total quantities
to swig
vsto chug coffee
  • Informal
1 6.7

To drink a large amount quickly in one swallow

is done in several large gulps rather than a single swallow
to swigger
vsto chug coffee
  • Informal
9.9

To drink a liquid quickly in big gulps, often alcohol

is used for a particular drink rather than often implying alcohol
to toss off
vsto chug coffee
  • Informal
8.4

To drink a whole glass quickly, often of alcohol

is done by several quick gulps rather than a single one
to chugalug
vsto chug coffee
  • Slang
9.9

To drink something very quickly in one go

is done in hurried large gulps rather than truly all at once
to swill down
vsto chug coffee
  • Informal
8.0

To drink a lot very quickly, often alcohol

focuses on drinking quickly in large gulps of a single drink

Antonyms

127 1.0

To drink a small amount at a time, usually slowly

4 3.9

To give food a certain taste with spices or herbs

How Fast

to chug coffee
  • Informal
1 5.9
to drink
1.0
to sip
127 1.0

Surface Forms

chug coffee infinitive
chugged coffee past participle
chugging coffee present participle
chugs coffee third person singular

Morphology

chug + coffee

The meaning 'to drink coffee quickly' is directly and transparently built from the verb 'chug' (to consume a beverage rapidly) plus the noun 'coffee', so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the phrase meaning. This is a simple verb + object composition used literally rather than idiomatically and is cross-linguistically unremarkable, supporting full transparency.

Etymology

Chug coffee comes from the verb chug, which copies a low, steady sound like a train and was used to mean drinking in fast, steady gulps. So chug coffee means to drink coffee very quickly, often 'to wake up' or because you are in a hurry.